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PENSACOLA, Fla. – University of West Florida baseball will open its 2018 season Feb. 2 with the first of three games at No. 19 Florida Southern. The Argos travel to Lakeland to open the season at 6:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. CT on Friday and then take on the Mocs in a doubleheader Saturday that will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 12:00 p.m. CT.

"Opening Day every year is just so exciting for the players, the coaches and obviously the fans who are looking forward to the start of the baseball season," said UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat. "You feel like if you ever lose that excitement or that feeling then you need to get out."

The Argos have opened every season since 2013 vs. Florida Southern. UWF is 2-3 in that span vs. the Mocs in season openers. Overall in that span, the team is 8-6 against the Mocs in season-opening series and have won three of five season-opening series vs. Fla. Southern since 2013. Last year, West Florida opened the season against the Mocs in Pensacola, falling in the first game of the season by a final of 5-2. The team dropped the opening series three games to none, downed by finals of 5-3 and 7-3 in the closing games of the three-contest set.

"Florida Southern's always been a traditionally great team. They got the best of us last year and really put it on us up here.  They had a good team last year," said Jeffcoat. "We've got our hands full, but it's exciting. Why would you want it any other way?"

In Jeffcoat's tenure, the Argos are 7-5 in season openers. The team dropped both its 2016 and 2017 season openers to Florida Southern. In Jeffcoat's head coaching career at West Florida, UWF has never lost three straight season openers.

"Just like the players, I know the coaches are looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor and where we are," said Jeffcoat. "It's an exciting time."
 

2017 IN REVIEW

* UWF finished the 2017 season with a 28-23 overall record. The team was 17-15 in conference play. The Argos finished with an above-.500 record on the road and a below-.500 record at home for the first time in the tenure of Mike Jeffcoat (2006-present). The Argos were 13-8 away and 13-14 at home. They were also 2-1 on neutral fields.

* The Argos qualified for the GSC Tournament for a ninth straight season. UWF was the 6-seed in the tournament. The team fell in the opener to 3-seed North Alabama before rebounding for wins vs. 2-seed West Alabama and 7-seed Mississippi College.

* UWF loses 11 seniors from last year's squad. The list of graduating seniors includes 2nd Team All-GSC selection Ladeavon Matthews, who hit .354 with four home runs and 32 RBIs. He was the only Argo to start all 51 games last season.

* This year's UWF squad will feature 12 returners from the 2017 roster. This year's team features 12 returners, including six starters from 2017: catchers Matt Sullivan and Trevor Payne, outfielder Brandon Harmon, infielders Nic Strasser and Robert Lopez, plus infielder/outfielder Nick Kerkmann. Kerkmann, Harmon and Strasser all hit above .300 for last year's team.

* Among pitchers, UWF returns Jared Middleton, Trace Penton, and Jared Gonzalez. All three pitchers made at least four starts and at least 15 appearances. All three had ERAs of 3.62 or lower.

* The Argos concluded 2017 with the fifth-highest average in the conference, batting .290 as a team. UWF had the second-lowest ERA in the GSC at 3.92. The Argos tied for third in the Gulf South in fielding percentage at .959.

RETURNING POSITION PLAYER PRODUCTION

* UWF returns seven players who had at least one hit for the team last season. In that group, five had at least 30 hits, and three had at least 40. The returning group (Kerkmann, Strasser, Harmon, Lopez, Sullivan, Payne and Whetstone) finished a combined 238 for 804 last season, good for a .296 average.

* Four-year starter Nick Kerkmann paces all returners with a .333 average last season. Kerkmann started 37 games and appeared in 41 in 2017. He finished the year with two home runs and 22 RBIs. Kerkmann also paces all returning players with a .411 on base percentage in 2017.

* Returning outfielder Brandon Harmon brought excellent production at the plate and on the bases last season. He brings the second-highest OBP among returners, reaching base at a .411 clip last season. He stole 20 bases last year, which was the second-highest output on the team and is the top number among returning players.

* Robert Lopez will seek to build on an already-solid UWF career in 2018. The junior infielder recorded the team's longest on-base streak of the 2017 season, reaching base in 21 consecutive games from March 19 to April 29. He improved his 2016 average by 18 points, finishing the year with a .287 average. He improved his 2016 OBP by 20 points to .379. Lopez has already made 88 starts and 90 appearances in his UWF career.

* UWF will be well-represented behind the plate this season. Returners Matt Sullivan and Trevor Payne will headline the catching corps. The two combined for 215 putouts last season and 21 assists, and both finished in the GSC top 15 among all players in fielding percentage last season. Sullivan hit .276 over 38 games and was a GSC All-Tournament Team selection. Payne hit .267 over 35 games. The catching corps will be supplemented this season by newcomer Riley White.
 

STRASSER RETURNS

* UWF will certainly benefit from the return of infielder Nic Strasser. Strasser suffered a season-ending injury last March 26 in a contest vs. Christian Brothers. He hit .306 for the season and was riding an eight-game hitting streak before his season came to an abrupt end. He has made 127 starts over three seasons at UWF.

* Strasser was particularly effective in conference play last year. He hit .340 vs. conference opponents.

* Strasser has enjoyed a decorated career so far at West Florida. He was a 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings South Region Gold Glove Team. His sophomore year, he was named a 2016 All-Gulf South Conference Second Team and 2016 NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team.


STARTING ROTATION

* The Argos are expected to start LHP Tony Kucera, LHP Jared Middleton, and LHP Kirk Maddox respectively in the three games at Florida Southern.

* The southpaws who will make up the starting rotation in the series are three of seven lefties on the staff this season.

* Jeffcoat on Opening Day starter Tony Kucera: "He's been our most consistent guy through the fall and here in January, filling the zone up and mixing speeds and being efficient with his pitches. We feel like he's going to give us a great chance to be in the ballgame through five, six innings."

* UWF will bring D-1 depth to the second and third contests in Lakeland. Middleton, who began his college career at Florida State, is a native of Lakeland and an alum of the same high school as Mocs manager Lance Niekro. Middleton sported the lowest ERA on last year's team, posting a 3.02 ERA over 14 relief appearances and four starts. His earned run average was the 14th-lowest in the GSC last season.

* Middleton also enjoyed an outstanding summer. He pitched the first seven innings of the Battle Creek Bombers (Northwoods League) first no-hitter in team history July 7 in a 3-0 win over Madison.

* Auburn transfer Kirk Maddox will start the first game of his UWF career to conclude the series. An alum of Wallace-Dothan CC, he posted a 6-4 record and a 3.91 ERA as a sophomore before transferring to Auburn.
 

ARGOS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN GULF SOUTH

* The University of West Florida baseball team was selected to finish fourth in the GSC in a preseason poll of conference coaches. The Argos are coming off a 28-23 2017 campaign. The team received 133 total points in the preseason poll.

* Delta State, which earned a national No. 1 ranking from the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper earlier this month, tops the preseason coaches' poll, receiving 169 total points and 13 first place votes. West Alabama checks in with 146 total points and one first place vote to finish second. North Alabama received 141 total points to rank one spot ahead of UWF.

* "I think it's appropriate, considering how many new guys we have and the depth of the league," said Jeffcoat of UWF's fourth-place ranking. "I think the three teams in front certainly are deserving and certainly have a shot to win the GSC along with two or three other teams behind us. You just never know in our league because of the turnover with junior college players, injuries and guys coming back, there's a lot of unknowns."

ARGOS CHECK IN AT NO. 7 IN SOUTH REGION POLL

* The University of West Florida baseball team was ranked seventh in the first preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II South Region poll released Jan. 24. The Argos garnered 29 points in the poll and earned the fourth-highest ranking among GSC teams.

* "I just think that it's nice to see that people think we're in the mix for it this year," said Jeffcoat. "We hope we are. The region is good. The top seven teams go [to the South Region tournament], and we hope we can be in those top seven. It starts with Game One, and hopefully we can play consistently throughout the year to get there."

* Delta State topped the initial preseason poll, garnering six first-place votes and 87 points overall to narrowly edge Tampa, which received three first-place votes and 82 points. Nova Southeastern entered the poll at third (71 points). West Alabama (59 points) came in at fourth, Florida Southern (51 points) checked in at fifth, and North Alabama (50 points) entered the poll in the sixth place position.
 

2018 SCHEDULE

* The Argos will play a 50-game schedule that will feature 30 GSC games. The contests at Fla. Southern are the first of 24 road games. UWF makes its 2018 home debut Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 vs. Rollins at Jim Spooner Field.

* UWF begins its season with 11 non-conference games before beginning Gulf South Conference play. The Argos will host their first home games vs. another Sunshine State Conference foe in Rollins. The three-game series from Feb. 9 – Feb. 11.

* "I think as per every year, it's a good test out of the gate," Jeffcoat said of the early season non-conference matchups. "We've got to be ready to play. It's going to be a great test with quality opponents."

* This season's other non-conference opponents include Spring Hill, Southern Indiana, North Georgia and Columbus State. UWF will host the Argo Invitational February 16-18, which will feature contests vs. Palm Beach Atlantic, Spring Hill and the University of Tampa, which checked into the final national poll of the 2017 season at No. 9 after going 39-14.

* GSC action begins at North Alabama February 24 when the Argos and Lions start a three-game series. UWF plays its first conference home series of the season starting March 3 vs. Union. That will be the first of three GSC series the Argos host in the month of March.
 

SCOUTING FLORIDA SOUTHERN

* The Mocs finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 35-17 and a 12-12 record in Sunshine State Conference play. The team is currently ranked 5th in the 2018 NCBWA Division II South Region Poll. The Mocs have also earned national recognition. The team is ranked 19th in the NCAA Division II Collegiate Baseball poll. The squad finished 24th in last year's final NCBWA poll.

* Florida Southern earned plenty of individual recognition on the regional level as well. Outfielder Cody Burgess was named to the Preseason South Region first-team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Outfielder Logan Browning and catcher Austin Mauer were named to the South Region second team. Florida Southern was the only school from the Sunshine State Conference to have three players named to the preseason teams.

* The Mocs were picked to finish 3rd in the Sunshine State Conference.

* A Florida transfer and a 37th round draft pick of the Padres in the 2017 MLB draft, Browning also earned D2CCA All-American honors in the preseason. He has proven to be a star both on the mound and at the plate, going 8-2 with over 100 strikeouts last year while also hitting .380.

* The Mocs are headed by skipper Lance Niekro, who is entering his sixth season as the manager of the program. His overall record with the program is 142-104. A former 61st overall pick in the 2000 MLB Draft, Niekro has led the Mocs to three 30-plus win seasons and two NCAA tournament appearances in his tenure with the team. He played four seasons at the MLB season with the Giants, hitting .252. He is an alum of Fla. Southern, having earned his degree after his pro playing days in 2010.

* Florida Southern is one of the most prestigious programs in NCAA Division II baseball. The Mocs have won nine national championships and earned 42 NCAA Tournament appearances, as well as 17 Sunshine State Conference titles.
 

TRANSFER EXPERIENCE

* Three newcomers to this year's squad will bring NCAA Division I experience. RHP Cooper Jones transfers in from Southern Mississippi, Avery Geyer transfers in from South Alabama and Kirk Maddox transfers in from Auburn.

* Mason Dinesen is expected to bring a tremendous amount of versatility, playing both infield and outfield. Dinesen starred last year at Ave Maria, hitting over .300. This will be his first of three years of remaining eligibility at UWF.

* Dinesen was joined on the GSC Top Newcomers list by lefty Dylan Mills-Derouen. Mills-Derouen was a very well-regarded starter in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges in 2016-17. He was a first team All-MACJC honoree last season and was the recipient of an NJCAA Pitcher of the Week award during his time at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Biloxi, Mississippi). He is joined by fellow MACJC alums Whitt Davis and Alex Knight, both of whom played at East Mississippi Community College.

* Among other junior college transfers is Jacob Silverstein, who won a national championship at Chipola College last year. Silverstein was one of the top offensive players on the Indians squad, hitting .391 with two home runs and 48 RBIs. He hit .412 in conference play.

#ARGOS#